Four students have been suspended from Aiea High School for alleged possession of marijuana and police have opened an investigation.
A tip from a student led school officials on March 6 to apprehend five students and confiscate the drugs.
The Honolulu Police Department was called the following afternoon, and officers opened a case for third-degree promotion of a detrimental drug, according to HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu.
If charged as adults, the crime is a petty misdemeanor. No other information could be released because the students are minors.
Some school staff alleged a cover-up attempt by the principal, who they say tried to handle a potential criminal matter internally, according to an employee who asked not to be identified. The employee said Aiea Principal Kim Sanders offered to dispose of the drugs.
"No one could explain the principal’s action for handling evidence in a possible crime instead of immediately calling in the police, which is normal procedure," the employee said in a letter to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "School security staff were warned against saying anything that could give a negative impression of the school and its administration."
A Department of Education spokeswoman confirmed four of the five students were suspended as a result of a school investigation.
John Erickson, complex area superintendent for the Aiea-Moanalua-Radford complex, defended Sanders’ handling of the incident.
"In accordance with Chapter 19 policies, Principal Kim Sanders did follow protocol by opening an investigation, which resulted in the suspension of the students for possessing contraband," Erickson said in a statement to the newspaper.
Chapter 19 refers to the section of the DOE’s administrative rules dealing with student misconduct.
"Chapter 19 does not require administrators to call the police immediately. When Principal Sanders requested for police assistance the following day, she also provided them the contraband items," he said.
The DOE said it could not disclose the lengths of the students’ suspensions, citing protection of student records under the federal Family and Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
